1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to movement of materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to attachments for a forklift.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Forklifts are a common machine used to move heavy loads within a warehouse. To maintain efficiency the loads must be moved quickly, which necessitates the operators driving the forklifts at a high rate of speed. Often when the forklift is stopped the attachment tends to slide on the forks. A dangerous situation develops when the load slides far enough to cause the load to fall or upset the forklift. Locking devices can be used to secure the load to the fork, but if operator intervention is required, efficiency may decrease. Accordingly there is a need in the art for a device which removably secures and releases a load to the forks without operator intervention.
Numerous innovations for forklift attachments have been provided in the prior art and are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes that they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,076, titled Forklift Attachment, invented by Marcus S. Legman, an attachment is provided for a forklift. The attachment includes a frame having a mechanism for attaching said frame to the forks of a forklift. A carriage assembly is provided including a carriage frame and drum engaging member. The carriage frame is connected to the main frame for pivotable movement about a horizontal axis of rotation. The drum engaging member is connected to the carriage frame for rotational movement about the axis of rotation. The drum engaging member includes first and second clamps mounted on the drum engaging member for movement relative to one another between open and closed positions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,661, titled Drum Handling Device for Forklift, invented by J. Thomas Helm, a drum handling attachment for a forklift truck is described which includes a frame for attachment to the forks of the forklift truck. The frame supports a transverse rotary shaft upon which are mounted for rotary movement therewith, at least a pair of gripping arms, at least one of the gripping arms being transversely adjustable on the shaft for handling one or more drums of different sizes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,485, titled Forklift Attachment, invented by Thomas Hopped, an attachment for a conventional forklift is described for enabling the lifting and pivoting of elongated containers such as barrels. The patented invention includes; a base frame means having connection means for connection to the forks of a forklift, a first and second spaced pivotal hydraulically operated container clamp jaw members on the frame, and hydraulic tilt means for pivoting the container clamp jaws to enable pouring from a container.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,669, titled Clamp Mechanism for a Lifting Implement, invented by Alba M. Vi, a mechanical clamp apparatus is described for a lifting implement composed of a frame work to which a pair of horizontal parallel arms are pivotally secured at their rearward ends. A jaw is mounted on the forward end of each arm and is pivotally connected at its free end to the framework to confine the movement of the arms and jaws to an arcuate path extending centrally then downwardly so that the downward pressure of an object on the jaws causes the jaws to move toward one another against the object with a pressure greatly exceeding the weight of the object.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,582,663, titled Industrial Truck Attachment, invented by Samuel Weirs, an industrial truck is described which is adapted to handle drums and barrels having rings around the circumference of the cylinder. The device is fitted to the front hoisting system. A pair of lifting tangs are positioned perpendicular to the front hoisting system and are manually adjusted to adapt to the smaller diameter of a barrel or drum. As the front hoisting system lifts the lifting tangs, they engage the rings and move the drum upwardly. Once the proper distance between the tangs is established no further intervention is required by the operator.
In Patent number PCT/EP93/00135, titled Attachment for a Forklift, a device is attached to a forklift truck and functions to facilitate moving of slab shaped components. The slab shaped components can be rotated 180 degrees. The patented invention lacks feature similar to the present invention.
In Patent number PCT/AU92/00001, titled Barrel Handling Device, a device to carry a group of beer kegs is described which has a frame attachable to a pantograph of a forklift truck.
The above patented inventions differ from the present invention because they fail to describe or claim at least one combination of the following features depicted in the present invention; a self locking mechanism which secures an attachment to a tong of a forklift when the load is lifted, a release mechanism which when the load is lowered onto a support releases the locking mechanism from the fork.
Numerous innovations for forklift attachments have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes that they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.